The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Straight Fire w/ Jason McIntyre - The Other Guys Shine for the Lakers, Russell Westbrook's Great and Terrible Night & Some Worry About the Warriors

Episode Date: April 17, 2023

On today's episode, Jason and Super Producer Rob G (Robert Guerra) kick things off with a deep dive into the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 1 victory in Memphis over the Grizzlies. LeBron James was good and Anthony Davis was dominant, but this game was won by 'the others': Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Given how deep this Lakers team is - and the uncertainty surrounding the hand injury to Ja Morant - it's hard to see a scenario where LA doesn't advance to round two. Speaking of Los Angeles, shout out to Russell Westbrook for doing all the little things to help the Clippers steal Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns. Russ didn't let a poor shooting night negatively impact the rest of his game as he made play after play in the final minutes. Let's just hope that viral video of him getting into a verbal altercation with a fan after the game doesn't wind up being the bigger story on Monday. Finally, the guys close the show by previewing tonight's Game 2 between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. De'Aaron Fox may have put on a show for Sacramento in Game 1, but it's not like Steph Curry and the Dubs played poorly either - and that's exactly why the Warriors should be concerned heading into tonight's action.  Click here to subscribe, rate and review all of the latest Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcasts! #Volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What a weekend in the NBA? Oh, my goodness, the association popping off. So much craziness happening. Road teams stunning on Sunday. The Warriors, a lot of people like the Warriors to get back to the finals. They go down Saturday in, listen, a lot of really good game ones in recent memory. I don't know if I've seen as good of a game one since, and this will date me. Derek Rose erupted as, I think, like a second or third year player with the Bulls,

and he went postal against Boston. I don't have his exact numbers in front of you, but Deerrin Fox, in his playoff debut, welcome to the postseason, young man. I will talk about the Warriors and Kings later. Obviously, they have a massive game tonight. Must win for the Warriors. No diggity, no doubt.

I need to start on a small scale, ladies and gentlemen. My main team. The Great Foxes! We're going to the championship again in the men's tour. Lawrence League. Get excited. I know a bunch of people fast forward through this. They don't care. I talk about it on the herd. People are like, stop talking about your men's league. You know you guys love it. At any rate, Grey Foxes, we were facing a team that we beat by 28 the last time out. And I'm not even going to lie. Saturday, while I was watching all the NBA games, on YouTube, I pulled up the team we're playing. I pulled up some of their other games just to see if they had any other guys. I recorded like 25 impressive plays that they had. Not full plays, but like shots and players. to identify, and I sent it to our team, and they're, like, laughing at me. And I'm like, guys, we've got to be ready. We can't lose. They got some players. And three of the guys don't even show up in the scouting report. But anyway, we fall down

9-0. We're losing. Our best player, the big guy, had, like, some conflict, so we showed up a little late, and we go down 12-2. And we didn't panic. You know, it's early. It's a long game. And we just start coming back, and we beat him by double digits. I will say this. The team we're going to play. And I might need some of you guys to come out and cheer for us Sunday night, Sunday afternoon, sorry, in Torrance, California. So they hung around to watch us. Now, we played them twice.

There's a two-time defending champs. We beat them in the first game. And then without three really of our, three of our better players, we lost one by 30, and they were talking some trash. So early in our game, I hit a three, and I'm coming down the court and I can hear the team that we're going to play next week, say, you've got to watch that guy, the guy who's verified on IG and they're kind of laughing and I don't look over they say yeah he's on a TV show and so a little bit later on I hit like a 29 foot three-pointer yes I will put the clip

on the gram as soon as the video is uploaded um and I turn around and I look at them and I kind of point you know one of those smiling points we'll see you next week I'm so fired up guys I can't even tell you how excited I am to play in the championship I will say this Rob G loves a good line we're underdogs in this game no doubt about it we're about six or seven point dogs, should be fun. That being said, underdogs ruled in the NBA this weekend.

Why can't we rule next weekend? I don't see why not. Now, I'll be honest, Sunday was a bit of a shocker to me. Lakers coming out. Not winning, because I did say the Lakers will win game one. I did like the Lakers in the series.

But what's stunning is how they did it. If I texted Rob G and said, it's fourth quarter, it's Rui Hachimura and Austin Reeves time. He would be sending me back, you know, the crying emoji text. If you told anybody, it would be Austin Reeves taking over and Rui Hachimura. I kept yelling his name because he was having such a good game. My daughter, the 10-year-old, fourth grade champion in her league.

She goes, you really like saying his name. And I'm like, the Japanese Jordan. Hachimura was unbelievable. And here's my big, big takeaway. from the Lakers 16 point win. It didn't feel like a 16 point win. I mean, I think they had like a 15-0-0 run in the final like two minutes.

John Morant was hurt. We'll get to that shortly. But my big takeaway was, and you don't want to go overboard off game one. There's a long postseason. Marathon, not a sprint. Do you remember, and I know Rob G was like in elementary school

when it happened, when the Lakers traded for Pow Gasol at the deadline in 2008? It was an absolute heist. They got Gasol from Memphis. They got to the finals. lose to Boston and six, they won the next two titles. All because of the Powell-Gasol trait.

It just invigorated the team. They went on to be the number one seed. It worked to perfection, adding a star. Well, listen, I'm going to call him a star. I think he was an all-star that year. I'd have to look it up. Call me on it if he wasn't. But Pal-Gosol has been an all-star before he got to the Lakers.

An all-star plus Kobe equals, you know, two titles in three years. They didn't get a star. They got role players. And folks, I just want to remind everyone, what did Rui Hachimura do before he got to the Lakers? Absolutely nothing. He comes there in kind of a not even a high profile trade. The Westbrook deal was bigger. Hachimura kind of a low profile move?

You could see my tweets at the top. I loved it. Hachimura, aka the Japanese Jordan, a money three point shooter. And I guess the Grizzlies didn't have the scouting report. on him. He went five of six from deep. He had 29 points. At one point, I think he hit two or three in a row and you're like, oh my gosh, what are the Grizzlies doing? And the Grizzlies, they did not have a good game defensively. Lakers shot 53% from the field, 43% from deep, 87% from the line. Unbelievable performance. It's funny. Rob G, I know it's going to be all excited for Anthony Davis,

as he should be. I just don't get away from how key Rui Hachimoro was. And the other guy who I cannot say enough good things about is Austin Reeves. And if there were two players this weekend who are not stars, but were essential role players that were winning players, that made winning plays, Austin Reeves is certainly number one. I mean, he was unbelievable. I think, and I got some numbers here, and you guys can check me on it if you want, but Austin Reeves, I believe, had 14. Is that right, Rob, in the fourth quarter? 14 for the hillbilly Kobe, including behind the back dime right into Hachimura's shot pocket. Splash! And I'm just telling you, Austin Reeves, they had him, I guess they had him miced up.

And he hits one three and he's like, ah, like flexing, pretty much what I do when I hit threes. And then he hits that shot in the lane and the grizzlies call time out and he's running back to the hull screaming, I'm him! I'm him! And you just felt great. an undrafted kid out of Oklahoma. Austin Reeves was unbelievable. And I know this is going to sound sacrilegious to say it against a Memphis team. That's good. And yes, John Moran was hurt and didn't play, I think, the final six minutes.

But he also had six turnovers. Including two travels, which was odd. Austin Reeves is a bad matchup for the Memphis Grizzlies. I don't know who guards him. Tyos Jones is a very good point card. I would take Tyos Jones next year on the Lakers over DeAndaul or Russell, I have the salary. And I know Russell had an okay game.

I don't want to slander the guy. He made some shots, but Austin Reeves is just, he's unbelievable. You can't guard him with Tyos Jones. So then who do you guard him with? Well, you've got Dylan Brooks on LeBron. Do you put Desmond Bain on Austin Reeves? Do you really want him chasing around Austin Reeves? So then you're in a matchup problem.

And ultimately, the Gris had to play the kid Aldama, who I'm not familiar with this big kid. I know he hit a couple threes. He was minus 23 and 24 minutes. Luke Kinnard cannot check Austin Reeves. He cannot. And the Lakers get to win. And folks, I know Polinka catches a lot of heat.

I want to remind everybody. And I think Van Gundy did this during the broadcast. Polinka saved the Lakers season. And I know some people will say, well, he ruined it by not doing anything in the offseason. Well, let's be real. He wasn't getting any offers for Westbrook in the offseason. They were going to have to dump him and get like nothing in return. Rob Polinka deserves credit.

He waited out the market. Westbrook was shining. Listen, there was a moment. He was not going to win sixth man of the year. But Westbrook was, he was playing well at times. Okay? I know he's still out of control and the turnovers and blah, blah, blah. Nobody wants to guard him.

Fine. And he had a brutal game won offensively against the Suns. Shooting-wise, I should say. We'll get to that shortly. But Palinka played this perfect. When he brought in Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, who's, I mean, again, Russell. It's 7 and 17.

I don't love Russell, I'll be honest. But 19.7 assists he was plus 20. They weighted out the market. Jared Vanderbilt, really good defense on John Morant. And then, you know, everything he's done has basically worked. We've got to give Rob Polinka his flowers. And I'll just say this. I know it's all about LeBron and AD and the injuries and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Guys, this is the reality. In the play-in game, Lakers Timberwolves, who won that game for the Lakers? it was Dennis Schroeder. Schroeder, Schroeder, however you say his name. Hit the game winning three. It was unguardable in the fourth quarter. Remember, D'Angelo, Russell got bench. Shruder won the game for them.

Who won the game one on the road for them? Rui Hachimura and Austin Rees. Now, Anthony Davis was spectacular defensively. 22, 12, seven rejections. He was awesome. He was the best player on the floor for the Lakers. But in the fourth quarter, it was the Reeves and Hachimura show.

And I know you don't necessarily, win with defense in this league, and yes, for the 10th time, John Morant did get injured. But, Rob, this is a deep Lakers team, and this is why I love them. They've got their role players who know their roles. Jared Vanderbilt, go lock up the opposing best wing guard. LeBron's going to do LeBron things. 21, 11, 5.

The turnover still are annoying, but whatever. D'Angelo Russell, if you screw up, we got Schroeder backing you up, dog. All good. And if Hachimora can come in with the flamethrower, if Austin Reeves can give you 23, four assists. How about this, Rob? Zero turnovers in 31 minutes. I'm just in all, and I do believe, listen,

you don't want to read too much in a game one. Kings beat the Warriors. We'll talk about it shortly. If the Sacramento Kings advance and the Lakers advance, who's favorite in that series? I think you know the answer. Now, Anthony Davis, Sabonis, the young guy. I don't know if

Jared Vanderbuck can hang with Deer and Fox nobody can it's early but right now there is a lot of reason to be excited if you're a Lakers fan Rob G I think that's an understatement of the millennium I'm so fired up right now I can go to sleep last night I had to go sleep in my daughter's playroom

because I was too jacked up and I couldn't stay in my actual bed because I knew that I was to be too loud just scream at the top of my lungs Lakers in five Oh stop it we'll see we'll see what you're not We don't know the job. We should update. Yeah.

The latest on John Moran, X-rays are negative. He's not sure if he's going to play. If you want to be body language guy, Rob, it didn't look good. He said there's doubt whether or not he can play in game two. And if he don't play and they go down 02. That's a wrap. Yeah, he said he couldn't grip a ball. He couldn't grab anything with his hand after the game.

They do have an extra day off, right? Yes. They don't. Wednesday. Wednesday. But in any event, if you were to tell me, tell me that LeBron James would only have 21 points and five turnovers and the Lakers when going away, I wouldn't have believed you.

Anthony Davis, I said onto it out, he's my guy, he's the one who I think for all, for my money, had at worst a top two or three performance of the entire weekend. Wait, wait, two or three? Yeah. Of all the players who, I mean, we'll get to Kauai, I'm sure. And you touched on it earlier, Deerrin Fox and the Kings. So those, whatever order you like them, Those are the guys who I think had the three best games overall over the weekend.

But this stat is going to blow your mind to illustrate your point. Between the start of the fourth quarter and the first 10 minutes and 51 seconds, so with a minute nine left in the game, LeBron and AD combined for three total points, scored or assisted during that stretch. This was the Lakers, the other guys games. And that's something that you've got to have in the playoffs. Everybody knows what you're going to get from your star players on a night's-night basis, most for the most part.

You know LeBron and AD are probably going to play well. You know Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Deeran Fox, you know, Donovan Mitchell, Joel, like you know the stars are going to come out and play. They're going to show up in a big way. More often times than not, though, the team that wins is the one that has an unexpected contributor. You had Josh Hart making big plays for New York. Yeah. You know, Harrison Barnes early got things going for the Sacramento Kings when they looked kind of shooketh.

I think the moment was a little too big for him early on and he kind of settled things down before Deerrin Fox started going. Austin Reeves and Rui-Hachimura. You're getting into it, huh? I'm getting into it a little bit. It sounds fun. Those two guys played like it was like game seven or eight of the regular season. no fear whatsoever brimming with confidence they were looking across the florida at them with Desmond bain dylan brooks jaron jackson john morrat like these guys are supposed to be intimidating

based on how much they talk and to quote shack it's like they're like barbecue chicken to them like these guys were not concerned at all and that's part of the reason why i was so confident coming into the series because if memphis had stephen adams and Brandon Clark, I probably would have leaned Memphis. Yeah. Right? Just because their size would have been, but because they're so thin up front, they have to worry so much about LeBron and AD on the inside, everybody else is going to be getting closeouts and wide open looks all game. And if the Lakers and the Grizzies are going to play a half court battle, which is what they did for most of the game yesterday, the Lakers are going to win nine out of ten times. Yeah. Because the

Grizzlies are not built to play like that. So shout out to AR-15, the Hillbilly, Kobe, HB, K, Austin Reeves. And what was it the, what's the Jordan one for Huay-Hachamara? You said the Japanese Jordan. Japanese Jordan. Japanese Jordan Rui-Hachimura. Yeah, it's, listen, you're a bigger Laker fan than I. I mean, you've been a Laker fan forever. You just look at that Memphis team, and I, just tell me, what is the path to victory for them?

I mean, Desmond Bain has to shoot better than 6 of 18 and 3 of 10. the Lakers are going to give Dylan Brooks all the shots he wants. Two for nine from deep. They're going under on John Moran's screens. Now, he did hit two or three, but again, you don't fear that. Xavier Tillman had a brutal game, whether it's boxing out, whether it's, you know, making plays. He just, he was, I mean, he was unplayable late. I don't think Aldama can be the guy.

Kenny Lofton, I mean, they just, didn't they just get him out of it? He was like the G-League All-Star Game MVP. Or maybe it was Roddy, one of those guys. It was Kenny Lofton. It seems like I just don't have an answer. They're in some deep trouble, especially if Jock can't go. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsportsradio.com.

And within the IHeart Radio app, search FSR to listen live. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman. documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and

corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George. George Bush got to do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's interesting because this is the first time, I believe, in NBA history, all four teams in the state of California have made the playoffs. the Lakers got everybody in Southern California excited with their win over the Grizzlies. And then the paper clips go into Phoenix in a game I missed the first half because of my Men's League game.

And it's funny, I'm walking out with some of the teammates. And I look up at the screen, I'm like, wait, Phoenix is down? What's going on here? And I cannot express this enough. When you see the report that Paul George is going to be out for the first round series, Woj had, he's going to be out. Like, they're expecting to go this whole series without him. My guess is the Sons took them lightly,

because the Clippers came out and smacked them in the mouth, dominating the first quarter, and the Sons could never stop them. And this, I don't want to go too overboard. It was one Clippers win. It was a close game. But if you're a Phoenix fan, you hadn't tasted defeat with Duran yet.

This was the first loss. With KD, I believe they're 8 and 1 now. Here's where it gets troubling. I didn't think, Rob, that the Clippers played an awesome game. They shot 10 of 31 from 3. Russell Westbrook was 3 of 19 from the field. Eric Gordon, who can make shots, was 7 of 14 from the field. He had 19.

Terrence Mann, player off the bench, Norman Powell, guy I like a lot. But, like, they didn't, in my opinion, other than Kauai's 38. And I think you can reliably count on Kauai to give you 38, 5, and 5, right? I don't think they played a great game and they won. That, to me, is what's scary for Phoenix, because Phoenix got an out-of-body experience from Torrey Craig. Rob, is Troy Craig dropping 22 again in the playoffs?

Is he eclipsing 20 again? Hell no. No, 22 and 27 minutes. That's not happening again. And we saw Chris Paul kind of getting picked on, Rob. Did you see that? Kauai's like, bring me Chris Paul. Like LeBron sees Luke Kinard on the floor.

Do you guys notice this? LeBron's like, I need Luke Kennard over here, please. Instantly going right at him. They're doing that to Chris Paul. He's getting the treatment from Kauai. And Chris Paul was not particularly great. He wasn't awful, but I didn't think he was great. Two of eight.

11 rebounds, 10 assists. DeAndre Aiton got his. You got to feed him early. If it's anybody I'm concerned with, it's, you know, Kevin Durant playing 45 minutes. Kevin Booker, O for three from deep. whining to the officials all game, maybe Luca was on to something.

And oh, by the way, Phoenix's bench, which we knew was weak coming in, had a total of 10 points. The Clippers bench, 34. Bones Highland even chipped in three. A plumbly brother had seven.

The Clippers bench annihilated this. And if the Sun starters can't win, this series is, it'll be a problem for Phoenix. Now, I don't, you never want to overreact to one game, but Rob, I just look at it like, I didn't think the Clippers played a great game. I mean, maybe I'm wrong. Like, the hustle was incredible, 15 offensive rebounds.

Westbrook had five, seemingly three in the final minute. And imagine if Westbrook just shoots like 40% instead of 3 of 19. Like, what are the, what are the sons doing? It's just stunning. And I got to give Westbrook his props. I know I hammered him a lot. Hammer him on the gram, hammer them on Twitter. the one thing I'll say, Rob, I've never called him not a winning player.

I've said Kyrie Irving is not a winning player. He doesn't do the intangibles. Russell Westbrook did the intangibles, especially in the final two minutes. He had, I think, two offensive boards on their final possession before getting to the line and making two as like a 60% free-throw shooter, 65. And the Sons and Monty Williams need to be dinged for this. They call time out. They draw up a play.

The paper clip snuff it out. Clippers call a son's call timeout. Again. And essentially they draw up Devin Booker on the perimeter. No screens nothing. Hey, you see Kevin Durant. You can look at the replay. He just waves like, you got this.

Pushes his hand at him like, you got this. And Booker drives and Westbrook blocks it and then throws it off Booker. That had to be humiliating, Rob, for Devin Booker. It was brutal. Like, you're down three and you're driving with like 15, 14, 14. 14 seconds left? I didn't understand that. It was puzzling. Monty Williams, like, I'll tell you right now,

Steve Curry ain't drawn up that crap in the huddle. We'll get to Warriors Kings, but like at the end of the game, everybody's like, oh, Warriors are done, they're down three. Kerr drew up like a good look from Curry and it rimmed in and out, like a one-legged three. Monty Williams did nothing. Suns, you never want to panic, Rob, but I think the panic meters, if 10 is, oh my gosh, is DefCon 1, we are effed.

I would say this is like a six. Oh, that's even higher than I would go. And I'm the one who said that the clippers would be scrappy in this series. I put out a tweet in the middle of the fourth quarter that something along the lines of, remember when I call this a Russell Westbrook Revenge series on the straight leg? You know, that's my bad. And then he goes and seals the game the way he did with the offensive rebounds, with the clutch free throws with a block shot on Devin Booker.

So I kind of feel good about it now. Not great, but I feel better about it than I did in the middle of the fourth quarter. But to your point, you know, I watched the game and I felt like Phoenix didn't look good early. And I know you kind of, you missed part of it because you're bawling up cats at the men's league. But overall, they played fine. I thought they didn't look bad. They only had, they had less turnovers than the Clippers. They were right there with their, as far as rebounding.

You know, it wasn't a big difference. They got to the free throw line 33 times, which is amazing for a Phoenix team that love to just settle for mid-referral. James jump shots. Clippers don't play great, sorry, Sons don't play great defense and they foul a lot and then whine about it, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. And even still,

Phoenix did all the things that you would hope that they would do to win. Like, you know, they're making their free throws, you know, Kevin Durant, damn near has a triple double in his first game back, or his first game, you know,

with his team since sitting out the last two or three. And yet they found a way to lose. And that's got to be, to your point, at least a little condo. Because the Clippers are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA, and they went 10 for 31 from D. Russell Westbrook, like you said, I don't think he's, you know, a great shooter, obviously. But I have a hard time believing he's going to go three for 19 in another game.

That's fair. You know, so Phoenix needs to figure out, they need to figure out. They just need to be proactive and say, we are not going to wait until. certain very high leverage situation of the game to feature Kevin Durant. Because down the stretch, it was way too much DeAndre Aden, mid-range jump shots, Chris Paul, pick and roll and doing these settling for these short jumpers that he wasn't hitting at all all night. At some point, you just need to say, hey, we have Kevin Durant, you don't.

Because that's what the Clippers game plan was for, like, the middle two and a half quarters with Kauai Leonard. It was, we got Kauai, doesn't matter who you put on him, he's going to make something happen. And unless Monty Williams can, I guess, dumb it down and just say we are going to feature that seven-foot monster over there, then this series is going to go much longer than it needs to, if you're Phoenix. Yeah, I was surprised, Akogi and Wainwright, they didn't, I mean, basically like, hey, you missed a shot and you're fouling, get out of there. Landry Shamet got the lion's share of minutes, and this is a problem. this 3 and D player around the league is the most coveted.

And right now the Celtics are loaded. The Warriors for a time were loaded. I don't want to, we're not going to spend time on Cavs Nix. A really nice one for my Knicks. I could say my Knicks. The Cavs do not have a small fort. That is a massive hole.

If you guys watched any of that game Saturday, what's his name? Okoro, they're just leaving him open. He's just missing shot after shot. And they were so disappointed in him that they played Sedi Osman late. Now, Rob, we talk about hunting, LeBron, hunting, Luke Kinnard, Clippers hunting, Chris Paul. Did you see the hunting of Setti Osmond? Jalen Brunson was just like, come here, come here, and just cooked them up, two buckets and I think the final minute.

Osman has no chance against him. You got to have three and D wings, Rob. Absolutely. And that's one thing that we talked about, I think even when the Sun's trade was made was, I thought they were going to be great immediately. I know you were a little more hesitant. But I think we both agreed that they're one or two off seasons away from. from being like the prime version of themselves because they're going to be able to make some trades

or use their exceptions to sign guys because they'll be able to get a little bit of a discount for these three and D type players. And right now they just don't have any. I know T.J. Warren was out. I don't think campaign is really going to make much of a difference assuming he plays in game two. They just really need to get the ball to KD, damn it.

I don't think it's that hard. It's funny you mentioned campaign. I didn't even know he was hurt. And somebody in that player points pool drafted campaign late because they think the suns are going on. Well, there's more value in taking campaign who's probably, if they go to the finals, he's going to play like 21 games. Even if he scores like eight points a game, that's more value than say, Tray Mung, Trey Young, who's going to play like five games and maybe score 100 points. And campaign could go off one game.

So that player points pool, I don't know how I'm doing. but I have Jaron Jackson who did well, but looks like they might lose the series. We're not going to get really into the injuries. I'm not going to make much of Miami's win over Milwaukee because I don't know what's up with Janus. Miami dropped a buck 30 on the Bucks who did not have Janus. The Bucke's defense was non-existent. Jimmy Buckets went off. Tyler Hero looks like he's done for the playoffs with the broken hand.

But I'm sorry, I can't care that the heat shot 60% from three. Let's see what is up with Janus before. we render any judgments at all. However, even though it happened Saturday night, I feel like I need to talk briefly, Rob, about Kings Warriors, which is we knew it was going to be the best playoff series. Or I guess some people thought Cavs Nix, which was great. But Kings Warriors, Rob, was electric.

It felt like maybe a game seven of the Western Conference finals. That game was so close. I don't think anybody led by more than 10. And I know everybody's saying, oh, it's one game. you know, they lost by three, the Warriors is not a big deal. If you ask me which team I'm most concerned about

after one game and you remove Janus because of the injuries and yada, yada, yada. It has to be the Golden State Warriors. Folks, I want to remind you, they played a damn good game on Saturday. Not the perfect game,

but if a 10 is a perfect game with this team, they had every team, everybody, Gary Payton, too, the Mitten is back. Andrew Wiggins is back. I would say that was like an eight, eight, maybe an eight out of ten game from the Warriors. Again, Draymond Green, 11 assists, nine rebounds, no technicals.

Kevin Looney, really good defense. I heard a stat from, I think it was Doris Burke, whoever the announcer was, said that the opponent was shooting in the Kings, two for 12 to start the game against Looney at the rim. He is, I know Anthony Davis gets all the credit as he should, but Looney's defense on Sabonis was a man. amazing. Curry, 30 points. Now, we only had 20 shots, which we'll get to shortly. Clay Thompson, 21 points. DeVincenzo was incredible as a role player. Rob mentioned

winning role players. Josh Hart for the Knicks. Westbrook's winning plays down the tracks for the Clippers. Austin Reeves and Ruehachamora. I thought I was ready to give Devinchenzo that award for the Warriors. Wiggins was good, not great. One of eight from three He missed an open three at the end. He had four blocks. Jordan Poole was not outstanding, but you tell me who was terrible for the Warriors. 47% shooting, 32% from three, but they hit 16 of them. They did miss a bunch of free throws, 21 or 27.

You know, I guess you could argue they got killed on the offensive glass and they'll be better, but how? Like, Kevin Looney was in foul trouble. Draymond can only do so much. They are going to be small and they are going to, uh, consider. succeed offensive rebounds. This is what concerns me. Steph Curry off the floor, minus 11. Steph Curry on the floor.

Well, Seth Curry on the floor plus 11. Clay Thompson on the floor minus 14. Rob, your guy, Future Laker Clay Thompson, could not stay in front of Deerrin Fox. If you asked me who I thought the best player over the weekend was, best individual performance. Kauai was good, Anthony Davis was good. Deeran Fox was a guy.

in the fourth quarter, and I posted this on social media, if you look at the Warrior's shot chart, Rob, all they took was like three or four layups or three or four shots at the rim, and then only three-pointers. And it looked like they got tired. In the second half, Deerrin Fox essentially got whatever the hell he wanted in the mid-range. 38 points in his playoff debut, five assists, three steals. And, oh, by the way, he chased around Steph Curry.

I'm sure you guys have seen the play where, where Curry essentially runs around for 22 seconds, does not stop moving. Deer and Fox chases in the whole way and Curry hits a layup. Do you know how exhausting that is? To then have to come back down at the other end to initiate offense? Because when the Warriors took a 10-point lead, Rob,

I noticed instantly, Deer & Fox said, uh-uh, not on my watch, and he scored six straight to get him right back in it. Right to the middle of the lane, get to his spot. I don't think you can put Wiggins on him. You obviously can't put Jordan Poole on him. You can't have Curry chasing. him. Clay cannot physically do it. I mean, I want to say the answer is Gary Payton, but he can't

shoot threes, and then who are you going to pull off the floor for GP3? So, Rob, I have legit concern about stopping Deer & Fox. And don't tell me he's not going to score 38 again. He was the most clutch player in the NBA with fourth quarter points by a mile. He is a tremendous free throw shooter, even though he happened to miss four. He had 38 points on 27 shots. He does what he wants He's really tough to stop. Rob, what am I missing here? I'm not missing the damn thing.

I mean, Deeran Fox was awesome. And if you just look at the box, I know the box scores not always the most indicative of how a game went, but in this case, I think it is. Steph and Clay made 11, 3-pointers

within the two of them. They shot about 39%, which sounds about right. If you guys in a playoff sitting, 11-3 is 39% sounds about right. Dremont, the 9-reve-reve- He sounds 11 assists, played pretty solid defense.

I don't expect him to score very much, so that seems like it would be duplicable. Jordan Poole, you know, this season has been very up and down for him. So 17 points on 4 of 10 sounds kind of like what would you get from Jordan Poole in a playoff setting. I think that's about where he would be. It depends. He'll have a 10, 5 for 10. Yeah, but you're not expecting, like, I think you can pencil him in for between 16 and 21. And you're like, yeah, that sounds like a Jordan Poole.

Okay, fair enough, yeah. Right. Then you look at the Kings. Sabonis, five for 17. Oh, I don't think that's going to happen again. With four turnovers. Red Velvet Herder, three for 12,

O for five from three. Well, I don't think that's going to happen again. And people will say, well, what about Malik Monk? You know, if they can get 32 points, fair. I'm not expecting him to get 32 points. But if you just take the Herder and Sabonis, you know, eight for 29 combined,

and you make it, 13 or 14 for 29, Monk doesn't have to get 32. Monk can give you 15, which would be more reasonable, and the Kings would to win that game. It just so happens that Malik Monk made up for what they didn't get from Sabonis and Herder.

I don't know where the Golden State Warriors can go to make up for, like, it's not like 4 of 10 is a bad shooting night for Jordan Poole, right? Clay Thompson's 8 of 19, but he made 5-3-pointers. Like, are you expecting him to make 8 or 9? three-pointers every game. So the only way I think they're going to be able to get back into this series, well, you know, they're only down once.

It's not like it's a big stretch. They got to tighten it up defensively. Like they can't get into- Are they capable of doing that on the road, though? I think so, because I don't think they're as bad of a defense as they looked like at certain points in that game. You know, I know that the Kings have the greatest offense ever, you know, which is kind of a funny thing to say because basically any team that's

played in the last three years has one of the greatest offenses ever. Like that's kind of the way these analytics work. That's fair. But the Golden State Warriors can play good team defense. And to allow the Sacramento Kings to basically play regular season type offense is just not, that's not what you can do. They got to tighten it up a little bit. We'll get to a best bet on Kings Warriors tonight.

I guess the other thing, Rob, that we forgot to touch on with Russell Westbrook, who had that amazing game ending defensively, not shooting. He was three for 19, missed a late three. It looked like it was going to be Blame Russ Day after the loss.

And of course, Wes had the block on Devin Booker. But Rob, I'm sure you saw this video that went viral late last night. It's not clear to me how Russ got here, but after the win,

I guess there are some sweets in Phoenix that are close to the visiting locker rooms, you know where you walk down that alley. And I guess some dude with the liquid courage said something to Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook walked into the suite. I've never seen this before. Walked into the suite has his shirt pulled up like he was celebrating.

And, you know, he should have been in a locker room. He walked up to this guy and says, watch your mouth, mother effer. And it's like, oh my gosh, is Russ going to fight this guy in the suite? Now, there was luckily a Sun security guard who was in between this mouthy dude who pretty clearly had the liquid courage going on. But this is not the first time this has happened with Russ. Do you remember in Philadelphia? He had an incident. I think in Utah, somebody poured stuff on him.

I know Russ is hyper, you know, aware of what people are saying and they yell at him and Russ is an easy target. But Rob, this totally mars the Clippers win because I'm sorry, but this morning on all the shows, people could be talking about Russell Westbrook confronting a front of. fan in a suite after the game as opposed to his incredible block, his incredible offensive rebounds. I don't like this for Russ. I don't know how to get him to turn it off, but this video is troubling. Yeah, I mean, considering Russell Westbrook's history, this really wasn't that bad.

Oh, come on. There's been there's been a suite with fans, dude. No, but there's been a ton of miced up Russell Westbrooks with him going back and forth with the fans, right? Yeah, but that's like on the court. The fans are a couple rows in or like, I've never ever, have you ever seen a player walk into a suite of fans and looked like he's getting ready to fight. This is crazy.

No, but you know my favorite part of the video is the kid who's sitting there on the chair eating like eating a pizza or whatever? And it's like that's one thing that, I think it was Kevin Hart who said in one of his standups. The reason why he doesn't like to fight is because he has a fear of getting knocked down in front of his kid. It's like, because then the kid's never going to respect him anymore. Like can you imagine if Russ actually would have threw a punch at this guy and the

son just sitting there eating the pizza like, oh no. Well, actually, you know, I'm looking closer with the video, Rob. It looks like he, this is crazy because my son would do something like this. He's not picking it up with his hands. If it's pizza or hampton, he's putting his mouth on the paper plate. And this isn't like some eight-year-old. I'll pop this on the gram, actually. And you guys can see it if you haven't seen it.

But it's like, Russ is ready to go. And it's like, where's the rest of Clipper security? Yeah, that's the bigger question. They need to be all over this. That's the bigger question. You think that one dude is doing anything? I mean, Russ, you can say whatever you want. He's like 6.5, 215.

You're not holding a back. Like 6.3, 210, 215. Just rock solid. Yeah, he's got the shirt up and you can see the 6-pack. When you're 215 pounds, all muscle at that height, I mean, it looks a lot bigger than I think than the regular 6-3-215 guy would look. He's also heated. I don't know, man. I don't like seeing these videos.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, personal health, personal health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day But just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack So I'm starting to see that there's a through line

We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you finishing that sentence I don't think there's a more important year for black people Really? Yeah For me it's one of the most important years For black people in American history

Listen to look back at it On the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcast Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox SportsRadio.com. And within the IHeart Radio app, search FSR to listen live. The only thing better than sitting on your couch watching the game

is making money while you do it. Here's your best bet. Let's quickly, Rob, get to Best Bet. Tonight, it's weird. Descheduling, sadly, only two games. I don't know what that's about. It's very odd that there would only be two games, especially coming off an incredible weekend of basketball.

Net Sixers, sorry you can't get excited about it. I'm not going to bet that game. Probably won't even bet the series, guys. I just, I don't like laying the double digits, and I can totally see the Sixers getting all cocky because you said they look so good. Embed was okay, but Hardin was awesome. And like maybe they go in saying, oh, shucks, Janus is hurt?

Oh, wow. We might have a shot here. and they start feeling themselves a little in the net's creepy. I'm not touching that at double digits. This is interesting. Warriors at the Kings tip time 10 o'clock Eastern, so you've got to brew a cup of coffee, guys. I am looking at minus one for Golden State.

Are you surprised this is a team that had struggled on the road? I think everybody in their mom is automatically going to bet, oh, well, Warriors are not losing two in a row. and the Warriors are currently slight favorites in Sacramento. Rob, anything for you? For that game, I'm leaning Warriors for the exact reason that you said. But usually if it seems obvious. Well, look, right?

Part of it is, yes, I don't expect the Warriors to fall behind 2-0 or 0-2 in any series. I just don't think that they're that kind of a team. The other thing is I think these teams are a lot closer than the casual public thought they were coming into the series. Yeah. Right? So I was always expecting this series to go six or seven games. Before it started, I said Warriors and Six.

And even that, I wasn't too confident in. I think this is going to be one of those series where each team wins on the road at least once. So I think this is the game that gets it started. I like Golden State. Give me the minus one for Golden State. I forgot to point this out. Like the Warriors, again, they played a good game. The Kings did get 32 from Malik Monk off the bench.

our guest last week, remember, he said Malik Monk was like the, what was it, the heartbeat of the team, 14 of 14 from the foul line. That's a scary thing. If the Kings get a lead and they have Fox and Monk going to the foul line, like those guys are excellent free throw shooters, former Laker. That's right. Thank you for that. I had to slide that in.

Trey Liles hitting four threes off the bench. Like, is that going to happen again? So I guess ultimately I have concern for the Warriors, but I'm with you. I think you have to bet the Warriors here, favored by one. my guess, look, who's the guy for this game that goes off for the Warriors? Is this a Curry game, or do you know that that's coming? And so you hug him up and say, we'll let DeVincenzo. Go ahead, Jordan Poole.

I want to say a curry game, but I don't think I'm going to touch any player. I just don't have a great feel. Folks, what was the last time? Three road teams won on a Sunday in game one. Like one, maybe. Two? Oh, man, that's surprising. Three in a row?

Come on. So I'm with Rob G. Give me the Warriors minus one. I'll be rooting, and it's tough, Rob. I'm rooting Warriors, but damn, these kings are fun. Dude, that scene before game one was awesome. I put on Twitter, I was like, look, unless you're a Warriors fan, you better be rooting for Sacramento.

They had that place was filled to the brim on the concourse outside the arena at least like four or five thousand people hours before tip off. And to see the way that they showed out like that and how loud it was in that arena, that was awesome. I don't know if they'll be able to duplicate that here in game two, but that was great. Yeah. All right. So enjoy tonight's games. We're back tomorrow. Talk to you then. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.